Virgin Atlantic wanted to create amenity kits that were good for both the customer and the environment. “Our customers have high expectations and it was important for us to address the growing concerns surrounding sustainability,” says Daniel Kerzner, vice president customer experience at Virgin Atlantic. “Small changes really do make a huge difference, and our efforts will save 945 tonnes of plastic per year.”MAKE IT RECYCLABLE
The new ‘goodie bags’ created by Galileo Watermark were made of fully recyclable FSC kraft paper, which is both durable and water resistant, and designed to be reused post flight. Inside the bag, the comfort items were also been designed to ensure as little plastic was used as possible. Plastic toothbrushes were replaced with 100% bamboo @BambuuBrush toothbrushes and the earplugs were wrapped in paper.
JUDGES COMMENTS
Our judges were impressed that every element of the progamme was focused on sustainablity – in both Premium Economy and Business class options – and felt that these kits took eco-commitment to a new level for amenities, making it the environmental priority entirely overt and sending a strong message about the airline’s thinking. This was especially striking for a Business class kit, where the judges felt sustainability was being positioned positively as the new luxury, something the judges valued highly and hope to see more of in the future.
FOCUS ON WELLBEING
The kit also focused strongly on the trend towards passenger wellbeing with a lightblocking eye-mask featuring a satin front and soft suedette material against the skin. And, in collaboration with BUZZ, included the REN Clean Skincare brand which uses recycled and recyclable packaging, made from Ocean Plastic, and formulas of natural ingredients taken from sustainable sources.
REUSE OR REPURPOSE
Virgin Atlantic also has a continuing relationship with MNH recycling services to take any products left back into the circular economy. Katerina Orfanidi, product manager customer experience at Virgin Atlantic, says: “We hope other airlines are inspired by our innovation and together we can invest in greener products and adopt stances on driving single use plastics off flights.”
